Washington: Carrots are not only good for your vision, they can also improve fertility in men by boosting sperm quality, a new Harvard study claims. Researchers from Harvard University School of Public Health discovered that carrots have the greatest impact on the ability of sperm to swim towards an egg. They asked nearly 200 young, college-age men to follow diets including a variety of fruit and vegetables and tested the quantity and quality of their sperm before and after the dietary changes. Researchers found that consuming yellow and orange-coloured foods made sperm stronger, 'University Herald' reported.
While carrots improved the sperm performance by between 6.5 and 8 per cent, sweet potato and melon also enhanced the quantity and quality of sperm. The sperm boosting properties of carrots was attributed to carotenoids, which the body converts into health-boosting antioxidants like Vitamin A that helps maintain healthy sperm and neutralise free radicals. Vitamin A can also be found in broccoli, sweet potatoes and oatmeal. Researchers also said that Lutein, a carotenoid or antioxidant found in spinach and lettuce, had similar effects on sperm motility. On the other hand, red fruit and veggies, particularly tomatoes, increased the production of healthy sperm. Men who consumed these foods had fewer abnormally shaped sperm due to the presence of anti-cancer chemical lycopene.
